How To Make The Bathroom Safe For Your Elderly Parents

The CDC reports that the bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house for seniors. It’s reports like this that make it very important for the elderly and caregivers to pay special attention to how to make bathrooms safer.

Here are some tips on how to make the bathroom safer for your elderly parents. The areas to focus on to increase safety in the bathroom are Organization / Decluttering, Appropriate adaptive equipment, Anti slip flooring and Emergency alert systems. By improving these areas, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of your parent(s) injuring themselves in their bathroom.

More often than not, it’s us, the children of elderly parents who are more concerned about bathroom safety than our parents. That’s simply true because most of us don’t realize the precarious situations we are in while we are in them! It’s much easier to see the big picture when it involves someone else. For this reason, it’s important that we (as children and/or caregivers) be as forceful as we can be when it comes to making the bathroom as safe as possible even if our parents argue against it.

You may be worried that making a bathroom safer will require very expensive renovations and equipment but rest assured, that is not necessarily true. It all depends on the level of ability and disability your parents are demonstrating.

Bathroom Safety Tips For Seniors

The bathroom is usually such a small room (compared to the rest of the house) that it’s hard to imagine that there are so many different spots where an injury could occur. Most of these injuries are due to falling so I will certainly be addressing that with each of the tips that I will be giving you in this article.

The areas that I will be going over are…

Organization / Decluttering

Adaptive equipment

Anti slip flooring

Emergency alert systems

Read over these tips and choose the ones that best fit the needs of your parent(s). The one thing I would ask you to keep in mind is to consider not only their current physical / mental condition but their potential condition in the next few years (as much as you can possibly do this of course).

Organization / Decluttering

The easiest and least expensive thing that you can do to improve safety in the bathroom is to clear it of any clutter and to organize it so that you reduce the chances of falls and injury.

My mother had a habit of keeping her toothbrush and toothpaste in the cabinet below her sink. There was nothing wrong with this generally. But, as she grew older and began to lose her balance more often, the act of having to bend down to obtain these items and put them away twice a day became a safety issue.

She did this mostly because her counter top was filled with silk flowers and decorative knick knacks. Ok, so these items were nice to look at but how nice would they be if you’re looking at them from the floor after a fall and a possible broken hip?

So, I finally convinced her to remove most of them and buy some nice replacement items that could double as practical containers for the things she used every day.

Here are some tips on how to organize the bathroom for improved safety.

Remove as much as possible from the floor. Anything that someone may trip over, bump into or reduces the amount of floor space which would make it harder to use a cane or walker. This includes garbage cans, scale, etc).

Replace oversized items with smaller, less obtrusive ones. A large garbage container can be replaced with a smaller one. A large vase with silk flowers can be replaced with one that doesn’t take up as much space on the counter top.

Clear out the medicine cabinet of any outdated items. Move items that are used infrequently to the lower cabinets under the sink.

Keep items used daily on the counter top or wall shelf but keep them in a container or shelf unit.

If you need more storage space in the bathroom add a shelf above the doorway (but only do this IF you are certain that your parent won’t attempt getting to them).

Use a tray organizer in the drawers.

Use pull out shelves or pull out baskets in the cabinets.

Install wall shelves by the sink to remove items from the counter top.

Use a combination shampoo / conditioner to reduce the number of bottles in the shower.

Keep shower items in an organizer OR use a wall mounted dispenser.

If the shower does not have drilled in organizers such as soap holder, squeegee holder, etc. then do what I did – use super strong suction products like these. I love them!

Bathroom Equipment For The Elderly

The kind of bathroom equipment that you would get for your aging parent of course depends on their physical disabilities. Here is a list of the most common ones used today.

Grab bars throughout the bathroom but especially by the shower / tub, by the commode and inside the shower.

Walk in Tub if bathing (vs showering) is very important to your parent.

Hand held shower head placed within easy reach while sitting in the shower.

For problems standing up from a sitting position:

A raised toilet seat that can be installed on top of the existing toilet.

You can also replace the toilet with a new higher one.

3 in 1 commode that can be placed over the toilet seat (and can also double as a shower chair).

Grab bar by the commode if your parent has the upper body strength to pull themselves up. Note, grab bars come in a variety of styles and shapes these days. Check out our products page on Grab Bars here.

For problems getting out of the bathtub:

If your elderly parent is accustomed to taking baths and wants to continue, you would be right to be worried about them getting in and out of the bathtub safely. Years ago, all we could recommend were grab bars placed around the area so they could lift themselves up from the tub.

But today – there’s an amazing product. The Drive Medical Bath Lift. Now, I admit that I have not used this product, nor do I know anyone who has but the reviews of the product look very good and if I were an OT today I would certainly try it out and recommend it. I would suggest that if you want to see it for yourself to contact a local medical supply store and ask them if they have one for you to see and demonstrate.

Toilets For Older Adults

When it comes to modifying the bathroom for safety – most people change the toilet and it’s surroundings simply by adding a grab bar or two and possibly placing a raised toilet seat on the existing commode.

These, of course can work but they don’t always achieve the objective of making the toilet as safe as possible for seniors.

Affordable toilets that comply with universal design standards generally serve the demands of the elderly, who are considered a group of people with reduced mobility. Even if the elderly still have the ability to walk, it is important to consider wheelchair use and the possibility of a caregiver when sizing spaces. – ArchDaily.com

If it’s possible to make open the space around the toilet to accommodate a wheelchair, that would be the best scenario – but of course – I understand that funding that may not be something everyone can do.

So here are some other ways that you can make the toilet as safe as possible for seniors without breaking the bank.

If you (or your senior loved one) is against the idea of adding a raised toilet seat to the existing commode – know that you CAN purchase one of the newer models of toilets which are about 3 inches taller than the standard ones we’ve all been accustomed to.

There are elevated toilet seats with handles which can greatly benefit some seniors. One thing I would caution you on is that some elevated seats have a knob in the front of them which is used to lock the seat into place. My experience has been that some of my patients have cut or bruised themselves by accidentally hitting their leg on that knob so I would recommend to avoid these types of toilet seats. (Here is an example of what I’m talking about).

The older models of 3 in 1 commodes are also still available such as this one model here by PCP.

As far as placing grab bars around the toilet – these days, there are multiple options available. You can view all of these products on our Grab Bar Products Page.

If the toilet has a wall to one (or both) sides then installing a short grab bar onto the wall(s) should be sufficient. You can also install the more modern U-shaped bars. They come in flip up versions and also standard solid ones.

If the toilet has no wall close enough to it to install a grab bar then a toilet frame which attaches to the toilet is optimal. You can also place a bedside commode over the toilet as well.

A bit more unconventional is the use of a Security Pole. This is a tension mounted pole which is perfect for apartments and other rental properties.

You can check the official recommendations for grab bar installations around toilets by the ADA (American Disabilities Act) here. These are used in public spaces but it does give you an idea of what may be optimal. Again – test it out with your senior loved one.

Faucet Levers For Seniors

For many older adults, the best types of faucet handles are levers vs. knob types.

They are much easier to manage (especially if you have arthritic hands) and you can control both hot and cold water with one hand which is especially useful if you have suffered a stroke or other situation where you are left being able to use only one hand.

Anti Slip Flooring

A very important feature of any safe bathroom is an anti slip (aka non slip) floor and this includes in the shower / bathtub as well. There are several options available:

If Avoiding Use Of Rugs / Mats Is Necessary

It’s important in all matters concerning safety for seniors to assess each individual case independently. In other words – use your common sense and add some caution to that.

If you or a senior loved one has balance problems – I would recommend to remove all bathroom rugs and instead use a shower chair or tub bench and place non-slip slippers in a location that can be safely reached from that seating position.

Ideally – using a seat or bench than can sit just outside the shower would be ideal as long as there is room in the bathroom to do this.

Safer Shower and Bathtub Floors

There are so many wonderful products these days that you can put on your shower and/or bathtub floor to make them less slippery. We don’t have to use the old sticky daisies anymore! Check out the variety that are available on Amazon. Shower and Bathtub Floor Non Slip Stickers

Emergency Alert Systems

For the ultimate in bathroom safety I would recommend to include an emergency alert button / system. There are several different tools that you can use.

Personal medical alert products like the ones from LifeFone and other companies are the best choice but they are not often waterproof so taking them into the shower is not an option.

If the home has an alarm system installed – you can contact your alarm company and ask them to install a unit in the bathroom but again this won’t help if falling in the shower is a possibility.

But thankfully, Life Alert does have a shower HELP button. You can purchase several of these and place them throughout the bathroom.

Another option is a smart watch by Joyeer – it has multiple features and one of them is a fall detector that sends an SOS to a designated number if the wearer has fallen down.

General Bathroom Safety Tips For Seniors

Below are some general tips that can help to make the bathroom much safer for aging adults.

Replace hard to open pill bottles with easy to open ones like these. Don’t forget of course to label them and store away the original bottles. Or – use a pill organizer like this one to make it easier to remember and to take your medication.

If the shower/tub has a glass enclosure – add stickers or decals to the glass, especially if your senior loved one has vision problems. But even if they do not, it’s a good precautionary thing to do to help make it much easier to see and identify the door.

Older skin is more sensitive to heat and cold. And some medications can make the skin ultra sensitive as well. Consider reducing the temperature of the hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (or less) to help prevent any possibility of their skin being scalded.

For sharp edged counter corners use a product like these Corner Guards found on Amazon.

These tips should give you and your senior loved one more peace of mind regarding their home safety.

Related Questions

Are glass shower doors safe? Glass shower doors are normally made from tempered glass. This means that if they were to shatter they would break apart into very small pieces which is safer than large chunks of glass that could impale you. But for seniors who have balance and endurance issues, glass shower doors can be more dangerous if they were to crash into it. For that matter, shower curtains can also be more dangerous because they would not break a fall. The safest option in a shower is a tile wall.

What is a safe shower water temperature? Generally speaking, older adults have thinner skin that is more sensitive to temperature (hot and cold). It’s very easy for them to get scalded by shower and bathtub water so it’s recommended to turn the hot water heater temperature down to no more than 120 degrees fahrenheit to be as safe as possible.

About the Author: Esther Kane

Esther Kane is a certified Senior Home Safety Specialist through Age Safe America. She also graduated from Florida International University with a BS in Occupational Therapy. She practiced OT in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina for 10 years. She specialized in rehabilitation for the adult population. Her expertise in home assessments and home safety issues for seniors will help you to make the best possible decisions for your elderly parent or senior that you are caring for.

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Robin and Esther are the duo behind SeniorSafetyAdvice.com! We both have years of experience in senior care – Esther as an Occupational Therapist and Robin as a Dental Hygienist and we have both cared for our elderly parents. In addition, we are both Certified Senior Home Safety Specialist’s through Age Safe America.

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